Gate



Sept.' 2 7 1927'- J. s. FITCH ET AL GATE 2 Sheets-*Sheet 1 Filed July 6, 1926 INVENros.

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JGMES.F.TOBIN. y

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` sept. 27, 1927.

Mmm m Mm W 1,643,297 l. s. FITCH ET AL GATE Filed July 6, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Imam-ons. .menu s. Fl-rcH K Patented Sept. 27, 1927.

- nutren srrArs-s fPATfE-NT rre-ic i JOHNSURDN 'FITCH AND JAMES yRAIWCIS"TVD'BTN, f OF fEVAIUIS,v ALBERTA, CANADA.

GATE.

` This invention 'relates .to improvements in gates and :more vparticularly tothat class ,of gates 'known' as `collapsible andthe objects of; the invention arel,to provide 'a simple. and durably constructed device for operating cllapsibl'e gates from 'a distance, to open them' 'and cause themy to' eollaps'e,"and t'o-close them causing theml tov be builtup. A

A ffurthervobject'is'thepifovision' of agate of "this'djescription that Willefiiciently per- "form Athe 'functions required 1 of A it A and, at 'the same I"time, be i manufactured and placed on the 'maiket at reasonable price.

y A still 'further' bj'ectis .to providefmeans of opening gates of" this description that can be'operatedfby the'driver of ajvehi'c'le'from a y'distance'Without dis'n'iounting 'from the vehicle and vvhereby on account of the simplicity ofa'cti'o'n and comparatively little euort required, the tendency` to pass on and leave the gate 'openli'sretlu'ced to aminimu'm.

With f these and pther objects, fhereinafter more fully 'referredt-o, lin vievv,the invention consists essentially in a combination, with 'a gate o'f flexible 1`naterial,"suitably suspend.- etl,`andfprovidedivith V an extensiom and 'having'pulley's intermediatly arranged for the extension A'to travel 'over, of mechanism operable from a distance vfor tensioning the 'eXtensionI on the pulleys to'clo'se the gate 'and 'to release the 'tension lon'the "pulleys v`to open thegatfe. y l K lReferring 'now 'to 'the 'drawings in which like 'characters yfof reference' indicate correspending partsin each'ligure,

Figure "1 is a hrfront"elevation of our impr'ovedgate, Y I

-fFfgurevQis a plan vien7 showing' theV top'of the gateantl fthe. supporting posts'and the 'means for operating the 'A gate from a l' distance,

Figuref'is'an end elevation of the operating pos't vvith mechanism mounted thereon, fFigur'e YAtis-a longitudinal section ofthe elongated link carrying a pulley, 'l

Figure 5 isa"'sectiono'n the line 5-'5 of 'Figure 4, y

v Figure 6 is aperspectiv'e 'detail of one of the lifting hooks,

FigureiT-is a .detail 'of forfthelinkinenibenland v y A I Figure is a (perspective -detail of the channel-formed and slotte'cllink. v -v Referring no ivl'more particularly to the drawings, in 'Whicha substantially Apreferred form of'our invention illustrated,f10 desv'the levice of loo-p 1926. Serial No. 120,794.

suitablewa'y, While 12 is the other gatepost V- onv which, as hereinafter more fully described, is mounted the opening 'andclosing mechanism. ,Y f

The vgate structure 10 is ,provided Wit-l1 "a flexibleextension 18 at the top inthe 1form .of a chain or cable While 14 is av bracket mounted on the post '12 and'on that side of thepost remote from the. gate. On the lower end of this bracket aipulley l15 is mounted, adapted to revolve freely uponfan aXis 1,6 carried by the bracket. lPivotallyattached tothe upper extremity of the bracket 'is an elongated link `17 formed With sides 18, and provided with partially `and longitudinally extendingy` slots 19 therein. In these slots, on

a slidably mounted pin 20, free to slide upwardly and downwardlytherein, is a pulley 2,1, Theslolts I19 are arranged in the sides 18 of the link 17 for Athepurpose of limiting the travel yof thefpulley 21.y To the upper eX- tremity ofthelink17 is an arm 22 (see Figure 8) rigidly fixed thereon at any desired anglef` and adapted Ato engage -vvith aA catch hook 24 when the gate is closed. This catch hook is pivotally mounted in a. supporting bracket 25, attached to thepost 12, its operation upwardly and downwardlybeing limitedtothe required extent by means of stops 26 in the bracket 25. Rigidly attached to, and projecting between, the catch hook-is a lift hook 27 (see Figure 6) adaptedto raise the catch hook .24 when it is desired to release the member 22 to open the gate.

Y At'the upper extremityof the link 17, and pivotally vmounted thereon at 28, is va loop inember 29 adapted to permittherethrough free passage of the arm 22. Pivotally attached to the upper extremity of the loop 29 isa barSO .so constructed at itspivotal connection that its radius of action'is confined Figure 2), lpassing over pulleys 38,and eX- Y tending horizontally at right angles to the gate to any suitable position by the side of the roadway or the like, where the free ends of the ropes are suspended ready for use to open or close the gates. The extension 13 passes over the pulleys 21 and 15 and extends from the upper corner o'l the gate, over the pulley 21. then downwardly and beneath the lined pulley 15, and then upwardly and is secured to a link or hook 39 suspended from the'pin 2O on the slidably mounted pulley 21. Y In operation for opening the gate a short quick pull is given to the cable. This is followed by immediate release of tension in the cable and also results in lifting' the arm 30 through a short arc. The hook 33 being suspended in the tree extremity of saidarm is also raised for short distance to release through the hook 27 the catch or hook 24 which retains the lgate in closed position by engagement with the upper4 extremity of the arm 22. rlhe hook 24 cannot instantly Vreengage the arm 22 on releaseot tension in the cable "for the reason that the combined weight ot the gate transmitted through the pulley `21 bv means ot the extension chain together with the weight and downward leverage of the link 17 produces a radial movement ot the extr'emit)T oi the arm 22 which enables it to move clear of the hook 24 before it can again descend upon it. even y though tliehook 24 only traverses a very short arc in its descent. The collapse of the gate is instantaneous on the release of the arm 22 by the raising oit' the hook 24.

In closing' the gate the link 17 on which the travelling pulley is carried is .raised by the tensioning ot the cable unt-il the eX- tremity ot' the arm 22 automatically engages with the catch or hook 24` the operator being immediately apprised of such engagement by aural and occular observation. and also by the change of tension in the cable. A i

-While the operation ot the gate is in progress. the pull exertedby the cable basa tendency to straighten out the arm 30,- causing it to assume an almost vertical position. The hook 33 which is free to hang vertic-ally from the arm 30 when the `gate is nearly closed is thus carried upwardly in a vertical line laterally removed (though in the same vertical plane) from a vertical line which is tangential to the outer extremity ot the hook 27. Y

A'ter the gate is closed the slackening oi i the operating cable permits the arm 30 to be drawn downwardly by the recoil of the springs 32 upwardly. The suspended hook assumes a position below `the hook 27 ready `for the next opening ot the gate.`

The assembly consisting, of the members 29, 30 and 33 is retained in position` ready tor opening the gate by the counterbalan ing action oi' the `weight of the cable and the friction of the pulleys `over `which the cable passes. The spring'connected members 29; and 30 overcome the tendency of the arm 30 to reactyto the slight upward pull exerted upon it by the slackened cable. The hooks 24 and 33 are so formed at their pivotal heels that their hooked extremities will not assume positions lower than those predetermined t'or the purposeot` each. In the case ofthe hook 33 the low position is just below the hook `27 and inthe case of the hook 24 the low position `is determined by` thealtitude at `which the extremity of the arm 224 will conveniently engage with the hook 24 when the gate has'been raised to the closed position. V

As many changes could be made in the above construction and many apparently widely different Vembodiments of our invention, within thescope of the claims, constructed without departing from the spirit `or scope thereof, it-is intended that all matter contained in the present specification and accompanying drawings shall be interpreted in an illustrative and not vin a limiting sense. i f y A y l y What we claim as our invention is:

1. In a device ofthe character described,

the combination, 'with a `fleirible 'gate mem-V `mounted in the link member and adapted to engage with the` extension, a pivotall mounted hook member adapted to detach* ably engage `with the link member engaging means, a second link pivotally connected tothe irst-mentioned link and havingpivotally mounted thereon a hooked-carrying arm, and means formed onA the pivotally mounted hook' member adapted to detachably engage with said hooked arm, a cable, operable `from a distance, `connected to said arm whereby on the cable being pulled the hooked arm is raised to disengage the link from the pivotally mounted hook member permitting the gate in engagement with the pulley in said link to drop into openposition and `whereby on the cable being further `operated the pulley carrying link connected nected to one of said posts, of asupporting bracket on the other gate post. Aa pulley rigidly mounted in the bracket, a link swingingly mounted on` the bracket and having a slottherein` a pulley slidably mounted in the link,'a hook member adjacent the link member and means formed on the link adapted to detaehably engage With said hook member, an auxiliary hook on the hook member and a hooked arm pivotally mounted on the link adapted to engage and disengage with the auxiliary hook, cable means connected to the hooked arm adapted o n being tensioned to release the hooked member and permit the pulley-carrying link to drop, a flexible extension for the gate adapted to travel on the pulleys and means carried by the link for anchoring the end of said extension.

3. A flexible gate of the character described, a-nd in combination7 With a fixed pulley adapted to engage an extension on the gate, said extension7 al swingingly mounted and slotted link member pivotally associated With the gate extension and provided With a slidably operable pulley, cable operable mechanism for detaehably suspending` said link and retainingit in suspended position. Inwvitness whereof We have hereunto set our hands.

JOHN SURDAN FITCH.

JAMES FRANCIS TOBIN. 

